Some very interesting stuff, unavailable-for-purchase premiums being available for Bonds amongst a few.

Contents:

Spoiler

Note: During the following Q&A, Slava mentions World of Tanks 1.5 and World of Tanks 2.0, please be awarethese aren’t upcoming updates! Wargaming creates packages of work and gives them a name that can be for example WoT 1.5 and WoT 2.0, in other words, it’s just an internal reference name without any connection to what Update the content might be released.

KV-5 characteristics are not final, testing has just begun. After the tests, Wargaming will look at the results with the KV-5 and decide what to do. If the implementation is successful, then they will start looking into the other vehicles too.

Overall, the existence of the preferential matchmaking vehicles in the current matchmaking is very bad.

About the KV-2 ®, the reason why it was introduced as a Premium was because the customization system isn’t complete yet. The tank as two turrets and several guns, Wargaming couldn’t complete the style for the regular tank on time, so they decided to release a fixed configuration of the tank as a Premium vehicle.

Wargaming wants to introduce styles players could buy, also know as skins. Warhammer 40,000 was just one of the many possible ones, Wargaming decided to pick two tanks that looked like some of the tanks in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and made these new styles. It was an experiment, in the future Wargaming wants to make more of these with new Premium styles and because they stand out they won’t be cheap.

Slava was overall happy with Update 1.0 but maps were changed too much in his opinion. initially, there weren’t any plans to change the maps, but when they were being worked on, the Development Team asked for an opportunity to change a few things.

There will be another wave of corrections, Ruinberg is the next one and it’s Slava “personal pain”. The map became worse in terms of balance, but with these imbalances removed the map will be a lot better.

Wargaming has an “inside project” where they compare how balanced the maps are after being reworked, the timings, how the “death zones” change, etc. When issues show up, they are flagged to be fixed.

Slava was happy that the team was able to rework and test 30 maps, but openly admits it wasn’t perfect. But delaying the release of Update 1.0 for another six months wasn’t something he was ready to do.

Slava agrees with the discontent about Province and that it shouldn’t be available for high tiers, he will communicate with the development team.

Currently Wargaming has a big list of “small issues” to fix since Update 1.0 and it’s working hard on it, these take time, Anton Pankos is especially worried about this.

Wargaming work is processed in packages designated, for example, “World of Tanks 1.5”, where they tank 1.0 and fix everything they didn’t have time for, and it’s a pretty big list at the moment.

The name of these packages have nothing to do with real Updates.

Currently Wargaming is working on interface, maps and balancing of preferential matchmaking premiums.

Slava admits there is a problem at low tiers and revealed there are big plans for their re-balance. This however, will take time, the number of tanks available on these tiers is huge, requires a lot of work to re-balance them.

Frames per second are very poorly optimized for Frontline.

Once it’s has been optimized and there isn’t the risk of losing part of the playerbase, Wargaming will think about introducing it on a more permanent basis.

Wargaming will also conduct some experiments with it, for example a 15 vs 15 mode but with abilities, but this depends how successfully the FPS issue is solved.

There is a “World of Tanks 2.0” package, where Frontline will bring some other amount of new modes.

Frontline will receive changes, that’s for sure and perhaps even drastic ones.

In regards the Battle Royal mode, players liked it and Wargaming will do some testings with it to see how it performs, but there are no deadlines.

The mode was prepared by enthusiasts from the Development Team in their free time, they did what they wanted, they were free to experiment whatever they wanted and no one interfered with them.

Slava doesn’t agree that artillery is toxic and inadequate to the game.

Slava doesn’t think landmines would be a problem if introduced to the game. (H: He isn’t saying they will be, he just made a comment how he feels about them in-game.)

There are no plans to return the general chat to the game. The Support Center was spending 30% to 40% of their time with tickets regarding general chat abuse. Since it was removed from the game, it became a lot easier for the team to Support other issues.

There is a long-term plan to rework Crew Perks, but it can’t be releaved now, Slava wants the players to see the whole picture and have a big surprise.

What is happening around perks is part of a bigger story, that is called “World of Tanks 2.0”. Generally speaking, Update 1.0 is something Slava wanted to see before the “Rubicon”.

Murazor still works for Wargaming as a Consultant for the Blance Team, he is Slava subordinate. He is also actively participating in a “big and secret plan”.

Wargaming regularly thinks about a European tree. The existence of current trees wouldn’t interfere with new ones in any way, Slava says that combining them in one tree and put some connections between them wouldn’t be an issue.

Slava would like to do something with European nations who don’t have enough tanks but still have something. For instance, the Swiss, they have three top tiers, but nothing else from what Wargaming studied.

There is an idea to implement ST-I with a new mechanic (IS-4 replacement), but Wargaming couldn’t allocate anyone to this yet. There are works required in the interface to make both guns reload, etc. The task is just hanging there at the moment waiting to be done. Slava thinks the vehicle turned out quite unique.

KV-5 will receive an exclusive list of trade-in vehicles that will include some that are rarely sold.

Unforuntatelly there isn’t much that can be added to the Czechoslavkian tech tree.

Bonds will be massively used in the future and they will always stay as a reward currency.

Bonds are an encouragement for in-game activity of different kinds.

Players will be able to buy a lot of things with them, from camouflages, some specific HESH rounds, to various Premium vehicles that were withdrew from sale, etc.

Q: A few words about the KV-5?A:The tests are just beginning, so the changes aren’t final, but we want old prem tanks to be competitive, and the KV-5 is the first step taken in that direction, so we hope it will have a warm reception. Tanks with limited MM have a very negative influence on the current balance.

Q: What next with the KV-2 ® and the W40K universe?A:WE wanted to make a unique camo scheme, something really outstanding and cool. Something that will be unique, so it will have to cost a bit. We’re analyzing the data from this experiment and we hope for more tanks with unique camos. We picked these two tanks because they sort of look like from Warhammer , but then we noticed the KV-2 really looks like its universe counterpart. We decided to make it another tank.

Q: What about prem tanks?A: People look at stats more than ever. For example, when the Type 59 was released and people noticed how OP it is, they bought it en masse. By the way, I can tell you can expect something nice in the tech tree soon.

Q: About patch 1.0A:Visually the new patch is excellent, but the maps had to be changed a bit. Initially I was against any changes to the arenas, but people urged me to try. A new wave of changes is coming. Currently, Ruinberg is a big sore spot for me. We experimented with the timing, and it seems we found a solution, but it also made the map even more unbalanced. We have to wait for a new version. We have a system to monitor times and winrates for each base, which helps us fix a lot of issues.

Q: About ProvinceA:I agree with people who don’t want it on high tiers. Our current goal is to improve details. We have a plan, a list called WoT 1.5, where we want to fix all errors and add new stuff, which couldn’t make it to WoT 1.0. Specifically, it’s the interface, maps, pref MM and low tier rebalance.

Q: Right, lower tiers?A:There are issues, it’s not a secret. We have big plans, but no details for now. Everything will take a bit of time to iron out.

Q: Will we ever see Frontline as a permanent mode?A: There are a lot of issues with optimization. We want to introduce such things, which will be like by our players, and become popular. If we fix the FPS issues, then probably yes. The task list for WoT 2.0 (not 1.5) assumes introducing new game modes. Frontlne will appear, but most likely in another form.

Q: What about Battle Royale?A:Players like it, and we’ll experiment with it. It will undergo massive changes, because it was made by the devs in their free time, which means they could do anything they wanted.

Q: Is arty still toxic?A:I don’t think so, but we’re keeping tabs.

Q: Is HE still problematic?A:It’s not a problem for us anymore.

Q: What about “all chat”?A:Sadly, no chances for now. Over a third of the people in support needed to engage in issues with insults and such. That why we can’t reintroduce it now.

Q: About crew changesA:I can’t talk about it yet. We didn’t talk about crew skills and perks, so if I would talk about it now, I’d have to say what we planned. Right now I can only tell it’s all a big surprise and part of out WoT 2.0 list. Actually, 1.0 is what we wanted to introduce before Rubicon.

Q: Wheeled vehicles?A:No comments.

Q: Where’s Murazor? Is he still working for WG?A:He’s my underling, working as a consultant in the balance department. He’s also committed to some new things.

Q: Any updates on the EU tree?A: We’re thinking about it all the time. Right now the existing trees aren’t a problem. When we speak about the EU tree, we assume it’s about countries which can’t have a fleshed out tree, but a few tanks could appear. Switzerland has three tanks, but only for the top tiers, and nothing else. Right now our research has ended, and we’re debating.

Q: Will old game modes return?A:I can’t promise anything. You have to understand that old game modes would have to be reworked from scratch.

Q: ST-I changes?A:We wanted to replace the IS-4 with it and give it something extra – two guns. But at the time, we don’t have the manpower to implement all the new GUI features needed for it.

Q: Anything new about personalization?A:The KV-2 ® is not a skin, but a remodel, as you might have noticed. The technology is still in the prototype phases, and the Valhallan Ragnarok a good example.

Q: If we don’t like the KV-5, can we expect exclusive trade options?A:Yes, but I can’t give a list. Expect rarely sold tanks.

Q: Maybe it’s time to finally touch the CZ tree?A:We used what we could, but the Italians have a few TD candidates.

Q: Plans regarding Bonds?A:We plan to use them on a massive scale. I’d want to see a lot of things exchanged for Bonds, like HESH ammo and some other interesting things. Maybe you’ll be able to buy prem tanks removed from sales, or new camo, presets and other stuff.

So the Warhammer KV-2 was supposed to be just a skin for the regular KV-2 like the French one but because they didn't have skins for a 2nd turret and a couple of guns ready they did it as a one-off tank. They really couldn't delay it for a day or two?

(Not particularly fond of the translated Q&As, worth considering how accurate some of these are. I trust Harkonnen, but I don't necessarily trust WoT Express.)

Anyway: Buying HESH rounds with bonds? Really? Man, as I breathe I can taste the salt in the air already - and I'm not close to the shoreline! I might have a Dinger nearby, however. If you can't buy bonds, what will the Dingers do? This will destroy the Dinger spirit! Bond ammunition will be the end of the Dingers!

Nice to see a mention of the KV-5 changes being preliminary. Just seems so darn official when they put stuff on the front page - and combine it with a total reversal on the PMM tank rebalance logic. It went from "PMM must be removed to balance the tanks properly" to "we must rebalance the tanks because PMM must be removed". Same end goal, sure, but it just doesn't add up.

Some very interesting stuff, unavailable-for-purchase premiums being available for Bonds amongst a few.

Contents:

Spoiler

Note: During the following Q&A, Slava mentions World of Tanks 1.5 and World of Tanks 2.0, please be awarethese aren’t upcoming updates! Wargaming creates packages of work and gives them a name that can be for example WoT 1.5 and WoT 2.0, in other words, it’s just an internal reference name without any connection to what Update the content might be released.

KV-5 characteristics are not final, testing has just begun. After the tests, Wargaming will look at the results with the KV-5 and decide what to do. If the implementation is successful, then they will start looking into the other vehicles too.

Overall, the existence of the preferential matchmaking vehicles in the current matchmaking is very bad.

About the KV-2 ®, the reason why it was introduced as a Premium was because the customization system isn’t complete yet. The tank as two turrets and several guns, Wargaming couldn’t complete the style for the regular tank on time, so they decided to release a fixed configuration of the tank as a Premium vehicle.

Wargaming wants to introduce styles players could buy, also know as skins. Warhammer 40,000 was just one of the many possible ones, Wargaming decided to pick two tanks that looked like some of the tanks in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and made these new styles. It was an experiment, in the future Wargaming wants to make more of these with new Premium styles and because they stand out they won’t be cheap.

Slava was overall happy with Update 1.0 but maps were changed too much in his opinion. initially, there weren’t any plans to change the maps, but when they were being worked on, the Development Team asked for an opportunity to change a few things.

There will be another wave of corrections, Ruinberg is the next one and it’s Slava “personal pain”. The map became worse in terms of balance, but with these imbalances removed the map will be a lot better.

Wargaming has an “inside project” where they compare how balanced the maps are after being reworked, the timings, how the “death zones” change, etc. When issues show up, they are flagged to be fixed.

Slava was happy that the team was able to rework and test 30 maps, but openly admits it wasn’t perfect. But delaying the release of Update 1.0 for another six months wasn’t something he was ready to do.

Slava agrees with the discontent about Province and that it shouldn’t be available for high tiers, he will communicate with the development team.

Currently Wargaming has a big list of “small issues” to fix since Update 1.0 and it’s working hard on it, these take time, Anton Pankos is especially worried about this.

Wargaming work is processed in packages designated, for example, “World of Tanks 1.5”, where they tank 1.0 and fix everything they didn’t have time for, and it’s a pretty big list at the moment.

The name of these packages have nothing to do with real Updates.

Currently Wargaming is working on interface, maps and balancing of preferential matchmaking premiums.

Slava admits there is a problem at low tiers and revealed there are big plans for their re-balance. This however, will take time, the number of tanks available on these tiers is huge, requires a lot of work to re-balance them.

Frames per second are very poorly optimized for Frontline.

Once it’s has been optimized and there isn’t the risk of losing part of the playerbase, Wargaming will think about introducing it on a more permanent basis.

Wargaming will also conduct some experiments with it, for example a 15 vs 15 mode but with abilities, but this depends how successfully the FPS issue is solved.

There is a “World of Tanks 2.0” package, where Frontline will bring some other amount of new modes.

Frontline will receive changes, that’s for sure and perhaps even drastic ones.

In regards the Battle Royal mode, players liked it and Wargaming will do some testings with it to see how it performs, but there are no deadlines.

The mode was prepared by enthusiasts from the Development Team in their free time, they did what they wanted, they were free to experiment whatever they wanted and no one interfered with them.

Slava doesn’t agree that artillery is toxic and inadequate to the game.

Slava doesn’t think landmines would be a problem if introduced to the game. (H: He isn’t saying they will be, he just made a comment how he feels about them in-game.)

There are no plans to return the general chat to the game. The Support Center was spending 30% to 40% of their time with tickets regarding general chat abuse. Since it was removed from the game, it became a lot easier for the team to Support other issues.

There is a long-term plan to rework Crew Perks, but it can’t be releaved now, Slava wants the players to see the whole picture and have a big surprise.

What is happening around perks is part of a bigger story, that is called “World of Tanks 2.0”. Generally speaking, Update 1.0 is something Slava wanted to see before the “Rubicon”.

Murazor still works for Wargaming as a Consultant for the Blance Team, he is Slava subordinate. He is also actively participating in a “big and secret plan”.

Wargaming regularly thinks about a European tree. The existence of current trees wouldn’t interfere with new ones in any way, Slava says that combining them in one tree and put some connections between them wouldn’t be an issue.

Slava would like to do something with European nations who don’t have enough tanks but still have something. For instance, the Swiss, they have three top tiers, but nothing else from what Wargaming studied.

There is an idea to implement ST-I with a new mechanic (IS-4 replacement), but Wargaming couldn’t allocate anyone to this yet. There are works required in the interface to make both guns reload, etc. The task is just hanging there at the moment waiting to be done. Slava thinks the vehicle turned out quite unique.

KV-5 will receive an exclusive list of trade-in vehicles that will include some that are rarely sold.

Unforuntatelly there isn’t much that can be added to the Czechoslavkian tech tree.

Bonds will be massively used in the future and they will always stay as a reward currency.

Bonds are an encouragement for in-game activity of different kinds.

Players will be able to buy a lot of things with them, from camouflages, some specific HESH rounds, to various Premium vehicles that were withdrew from sale, etc.

1 thing i dont understand:

KV-5 will receive an exclusive list of trade-in vehicles that will include some that are rarely sold.

Anyway: Buying HESH rounds with bonds? Really? Man, as I breathe I can taste the salt in the air already - and I'm not close to the shoreline! I might have a Dinger nearby, however. If you can't buy bonds, what will the Dingers do? This will destroy the Dinger spirit! Bond ammunition will be the end of the Dingers!

Oh, on a side-note...: Does anyone know what happened to the ability to leave comments on Harkonnen's TheDailyBounce site? For several weeks now there are no comments on any article, when I tried logging in to comment, something went wrong, the login process seems to be looping in a weird way...

They would. As I'm sure more then half bought it for the premium KV-2. Not the fact it was a Warhammer tank. As I've not seen many G1 B's with the skin on. If that was a premium too, I suspect more would have bought that as well. As it was fairly pricey for a skin a minority of players will see. As the setting is off by default. So if the rest later are skins only. I won't be getting them.

Crusherheads, on 23 May 2018 - 06:55 PM, said:

i mean, will the others PMM have same option?

I'm sure they will. If not I suspect there would be a rage storm again. As they followed the new "protocol" when they removed tier X's too. As they all became a special vehicle.

German_Dunc, on 23 May 2018 - 06:57 PM, said:

Other changes worry me though - game is rapidly morphing into Fortnite/PUBG clone...

If they return with the BR mode later as they said. It will keep far away from it. I'm sick of it as is that everyone have to follow the trend. Even COD BO4 said they would set new trends and be innovative and not do the same mistake again... then making fun off the wallrunning they did copy from the original COD creators with Titanfall....only to show 60 seconds later that they had copied every game there is, inc PUBG. Because why not. I'm willing to bet that BF5 will have a BR mode too.

Probably, although I can't say if the special list is going to be the same.

I assume it's because the KV-5 is a "rare" vehicle that they will be able to trade it for other "rare" vehicles that they may have preferred to purchase, as a sort of compensation for not liking their rebalanced "rare" vehicle.

Since the IS-6 and StupidPershing (aamongst other) are available in the shop they will only be able to trade for other tech tree premiums.